All the Devils' hottest news, from notes to numbers to neutral-zone traps

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

With the Devils, these things are never done until the official announcement is made, but indications are that the team will retire Scott Niedermayer’s No. 27 during the upcoming season.

Al Dhalla of Super Agent Inc., a Toronto-based sports marketing company, posted Saturday on his Twitter account that Friday, Dec. 16 will be “Scott Niedermayer Night in New Jersey.” The Devils host the Dallas Stars that night.

Reached on the phone this evening, Niedermayer acknowledged that he has had a working relationship with Dhalla (Dhalla also advertised on Twitter the availability of autographed Niedermayer memorabilia), but was uncomfortable talking about his jersey number being retired and said, to his knowledge, nothing had been finalized.

“It’s sort of a strange thing to talk about,” Niedermayer said. “If it does happen – and I guess maybe it will – it’s a great honor. But I don’t really find it my place to talk about it. It’s their decision ultimately. They’re in charge. They’re calling the shots, not me, and that’s the way it should be.”

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello did not return a telephone message I left for him this afternoon.

Niedermayer, who will turn 38 on Wednesday, admitted that he has had discussions with the Devils about finding a date for his jersey number to be retired during the 2011-12 season. A source said they had similar talks last season. No. 27 was left vacant last season after Mike Mottau wore it for three seasons.

“Lou will do it when he feels it’s right to do,” Niedermayer said. “In my eyes at least, I don’t think anything has been finalized anyway.”

When I asked Niedermayer how Dhalla might have come up with the Dec. 16 date, he replied, “There’s probably been a few dates that have been talked about and maybe that had been one of them. Whether everything has been finalized, I have no idea.”

Dhalla’s posting about “Scott Niedermayer Night” was still on his Twitter page this afternoon, but disappeared later tonight.

Niedermayer was selected third overall by the Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He retired after the 2009-10 season as a four-time Stanley Cup winner, winning the first three with the Devils and the fourth with Anaheim. He would be the third player in Devils’ history to have his number retired, joining Scott Stevens, whose No. 4 was retired on Feb. 3, 2006, and Ken Daneyko, whose No. 3 was retired on March 24, 2006.

Both of those ceremonies took place at the Meadowlands. Niedermayer’s number retirement ceremony would be the first to take place at Prudential Center.

Stevens, Daneyko, Niedermayer, Sergei Brylin and Martin Brodeur were the only Devils to play for all three of the team’s Stanley Cup winners – 1995, 2000 and 2003.

Niedermayer said he will continue in 2011-12 in his role as a consultant to Ducks general manager Bob Murray. He was on is way to California from British Columbia when I reached him tonight

Niedermayer said he enjoyed “parts of” the job last season, which he called “very much part time.”

“It might be a bit different this year,” he said. “There might be some things I do a bit more of and less of other things.”

Niedermayer made two visits to Syracuse last season to work on the ice with the Ducks’ AHL players there.

“I didn’t mind that, but that leads to a coaching position, which I don’t know if that’s what I want right now,” he said.

Does Niedermayer see himself coaching in the future?

“I would have said ‘never’ if you had asked me five years ago, but now (he’s not sure)” he said.

Or could he end up as a general manager some day like Steve Yzerman and Joe Nieuwendyk?

“I think I’ve been exposed to both sides of it and I don’t think I’m going to anything right away,” Niedermayer said.

The Ducks visit Prudential Center on Friday, Feb. 17, which would appear to be another potential date for Niedermayer’s number to be retired.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.